Todd Misener on what it takes to cook
Todd Misener is managing partner in the growing Stinky’s Fish Camp restaurant business. The company, Word Of Mouth Restaurant Group, includes the Stinky’s brand in the form of the Fish Camp, the Bait Shack, the Charter boats as well as the Trenasse in New Orleans.
I’ve known Todd for a long time. I was hired around 1998 to be his sous chef at the Governors’ Club in Tallahassee by his mentor Jack Shoop, CMC. We worked together until opportunity lead Todd to Destin, FL. For the most part, Todd has spent those years in the Panhandle of Florida and has built a very nice business.
I wanted to know from Todd what has changed in the food world since our time together. In my part of the culinary world, skill and talent and dedication were increasingly difficult to find. I wondered if that was so in another part of the country.
Stinky’s has a restaurant in Auburn, AL which is of particular note for anyone studying or teaching at Mises University. I checked Dr Google, and it’s 1.5 miles down 137, turn Right on Shug Jordan Parkway and it’s on the right.
The interview
What spoke to you that made you decide cooking was the right course for you?
Survival. I grew up with a single working mother and a younger sister which I often was responsible for providing meals for until my mom got home. Then it became an after school job when I was 14.
What were the first shocks to your expectations, after graduation, when you started working in the field?
Oh boy… I had worked in several high paced kitchens before and during high school… but after graduation I stepped into the kitchen of a [certified] master chef… INTENSE! unending pressure, extremely long hours expected, 6 and 7 days a week….
When we worked together we seemed pretty lucky that we were able to find help. How is the market today for skilled chefs and cook and bakers. Also, are capable FOH staff available?
It is still extremely difficult, especially if you hold unwavering standards. We have been fortunate to find a great staff in most of our restaurants! At least in the markets we are established in. The newer markets continue to be a challenge. But our reputation as good people to work for spreads. We try to be “employers of choice.” The challenge continues to find chefs and managers that are like minded. We are constantly building our “virtual bench,” topgrading who we have, and trying to develop them.
No one can know the unknowable, but what do you think is the reason that cooks are so hard to find?
It seems that most parents don’t teach the importance of good work ethic like they used to. Many Culinary graduates get out of school with an attitude that they are chefs and entitled…. without working through the ranks, paying their dues, learning from the more experienced seasoned chefs before them etc…..
Do you see a difference in work ethic between the young cooks of today and how we were raised in the business?
Yes
Why do you think that is?
Same as above answer.
I can only guess that the shift from executive chef, with substantial business skills of managing the daily affairs of one kitchen, to businessman, with responsibilities for everything and everyone must have been an incredible shift. Looking back, what were the biggest challenges you wish someone had told you to watch for?
Listen and learn from everyone: listen listen listen. Make sure your employees know you hear them.
Your path with Stinky’s has been impressive. You are now in several states. Has that multi-state presence complicated the regulation compliance or is one state more or less the same as the next?
Not sure what you mean by “regulation.” Labor laws, pay rates, unions, liquor laws, etc… vary from state to state… but not unmanageable.
Do you find you spend more time dealing with red tape and conforming to things you could never have anticipated?
The more employees…. the harder it gets.. creating the red tape is actually the focus now… without becoming too corporate, we are finding the need to become more consistent in so many ways to be fair, protect ourselves, and grow wisely.
Cooks are trained to adapt to and overcome their environment. Make it happen was what we were told. How do you manage what has to be a great amount of stress that you can’t just “make it happen” by talking to someone on the phone?
Patience and a plan. Set expectations clearly, follow through and follow up constantly. Give feedback honestly and directly. Everyone should always know where they stand with you.
How much of those regulations seem to be legitimate, meaning designed to protect the public, and how many seem to have no real purpose to serve the business or the public?
Read between the lines and make it work for you
Since our days at the Club, have you seen a change in what diners want from restaurants? Meaning, I think, do customers have different food preferences but stil demand that food made well, or has the clientele let quality and choice fall away and dining is just a place to go?
Clients are value -vs- quality driven and looking for entertainment. We are always on stage and never say no to our guests.
This is little bit of inside baseball, but these years on, do you see any of our friend Jack [Shoop, Certified Master Chef] in you as you deal with and talk to the cooks?
Mainly in how I speak about the foundation of cooking, the classics, and how I go about teaching people.
It is an impressive thing that you’ve taken one business, The Lake Place, built a chain of successful, scalable, restaurants as well as a flagship in New Orleans. Tell me about your chef and the surpsise she had for NOLA chefs.
It is our entire team that has accomplished this together. Couldn’t have don’t it without the team. The loyalty that we have to each other and our company is unbreachable. Stinky’s in Santa Rosa Beach is actually our flagship and home base.
What’s next for Stinky’s Fish Camp? And, what is the next thing after that? Do you have a 10 year plan?
Grow the Stinky’s brand in other locations. Opportunities present themselves, so you never really know. Our executive team operates with weekly, monthly and annual goals. We also have a 5 and 10 year plan. We develop action plans for each of our goals and hold each other accountable.
How can people learn more about Stinky’s?
Come dine with us and experience it yourself.
Word Of Mouth Restaurant Group restaurants
Stinky’s Fish Camp Baton Rouge, LA
Stinky’s Fish Camp Santa Rose Beach, FL
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